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As the Nov. 24 deadline regarding Iran’s nuclear program approaches, is the world heading to some sort of catastrophic war with the Middle East’s most influential nation — or will there be a truly historic peace?

Let us hope the dark clouds of history don’t provide the answer. The poignant tributes this past week to the 16 million people who died a century ago in the First World War glossed over one essential fact. It was an insane and avoidable war, one of the bloodiest in world history, which was only made possible by an incompetent and self-serving leadership class that largely emerged from the horrible ashes alive. One hundred years later, are we reliving history?

It doesn’t have to be this way. As Islamic State fanatics threaten Syria and Iraq, there are compelling strategic reasons for détente between Iran and the world’s major powers.

After decades of bitter distrust, both Iran and the U.S. have leaders who seem to want to strike a deal, and there is a prevailing view in Europe to grab it as long as the deal is smart. Above all, there is a sense that, incredibly, this may be history’s unique moment to shape a better Middle East.

But the countdown clock is ticking. The drumbeats for war in this noisy 21st century may once again drown out the calls for peace. For many of our politicians — in spite of the pious words we heard at various cenotaphs in Canada and abroad Tuesday — the road to war is an easier one to take. It rarely involves real personal risk and a docile media echo chamber is always there to cheerlead from the sidelines.

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Working toward peace, on the other hand, is far more difficult, and usually thankless. It also requires genuine political and personal courage.

This week, after several days of intensive negotiations, high-level representatives of Iran, Europe, China and the United States tried again to conclude an agreement ahead of the Nov. 24 deadline. If no deal is reached in time, there is some speculation that negotiations may be extended to avoid a breakdown.

However, as the deadline approaches, the forces intent on killing any deal are going into overdrive. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, widely believed to favour an Israeli military strike on Iran, spoke on Tuesday to U.S. Jewish groups: “Iran is not a partner of America. It’s an enemy of America.”

In the U.S. Congress, soon under the control of hawkish Republicans, efforts began to kill any possible deal, with even some Democrats divided. Last weekend at an Israel-American Council meeting, billionaire Haim Saban, a supporter and friend of Hillary Clinton, said that in the event of a “bad” nuclear agreement, Netanyahu “should bomb the living daylights out of these sons of bitches (the Iranians).”

For proponents of a deal, there are no illusions it would transform the Iranian regime overnight. One is certainly reminded of this while watching Jon Stewart’s dramatic new film, Rosewater, which opened in Canadian theatres this weekend.

Rosewater is the story of Maziar Bahari, an Iranian-Canadian journalist who was imprisoned for months in Iran’s notorious Evin prison after covering the disputed 2009 presidential elections for Newsweek magazine. It is based on Bahari’s book, Then They Came For Me. In response to growing international pressure, Iran finally released Bahari in October 2009; a month later, the Canadian journalist wrote an essay for The Washington Post, titled “Why we should talk with Iran.”

Even though he had been “jailed, interrogated and beaten” by the Revolutionary Guards for 118 days, Bahari wrote “there is no other choice” except to create a dialogue with Iran over its nuclear program and the stability of Iraq and Afghanistan.

“Not talking to Tehran doesn’t work,” Bahari wrote, since it simply helps the hard-liners consolidate their power: “Only by engaging … can the West force Tehran to measure the costs and benefits of dealing with the outside world.”

Even if a historic nuclear agreement is reached, with guarantees that Iran will not acquire nuclear weapons, the road to a more democratic, tolerant Iran will be a long one. But as Bahari reminded us after his prison ordeal, someone needs to take a first step for this to be achieved.

Tony Burman, former head of CBC News and Al-Jazeera English, teaches journalism at Ryerson University. Reach him at @TonyBurman tony.burman@gmail.com

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